If you asked a 19th century Parisian what the world would look like in the year 2000, we bet they would talk a lot about underwater recreation and winged-human activity. At least that's what we would assume after seeing this postcard series by Jean-Marc Cote and other illustrators in an article by The Daily Mail.
Created in 1899 for the next year's World Exhibition in Paris, the bizarre series portrays how the various artists imagined the future of their city. From bat winged-firemen to automated barber shops to a lot of underwater recreation, they created a truly absurd vision of the 21st century.
The postcard makers did get one thing right though: video chatting. That's right, these bizarre artists may have missed the mark when they predicted radium-powered fireplaces and blimp-to-blimp warfare, but they hit the nail on the head when they guessed that the the 21st century would see the creation of a video phone. Their version is a little less portable than the real deal (cords, really?), but it's a valiant effort in comparison to underwater croquet.
The postcards also rightly predicted the advent of audio news, but the popularization of radio and television came well before the year 2000, so we're not sure we can give them points for that one. To see more of these wacky predictions, check out the original Daily Mail article. The tour bus powered by an enormous blue whale will not disappoint. We're still wondering why 19th century Parisians were so intent on spending their leisure time under the sea.
Let us know what you think of these far-fetched predictions in the comments section. What ridiculous inventions can you imagine for the year 3000?